Chinese medicine: from rural hospitals to top three hospitals in Kyoto

Dinner was arranged at a fairly upscale hotel in the city center. In addition to Vice President Zhao and the director of the medical affairs department, several department directors were also present.

After a few drinks, the head of the acupuncture department, surnamed Wang, became more talkative. He smiled and said to Chen Yang, "Director Chen is young and promising, and his name is known throughout the country. This time, you have brought your top students to our small place to guide our work. Please give us grassroots comrades a lot of guidance."

These words sounded polite, but they were actually barbed, implying that Chen Yang was young and impetuous and had come to "point fingers".

Yu Shiyun, Li Chengjie, and the others frowned slightly, somewhat indignant, but they all held back and remained silent.

Chen Yang, however, seemed oblivious to the implied meaning, smiled calmly, raised his glass, and said, "Director Wang, you flatter me."

"We wouldn't call it guidance; we're here to learn. The Hebei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine has a long history and is full of talented people; there's a lot we can learn from them. The purpose of bringing these trainees here is to broaden our horizons and learn from others' strengths."

Chen Yang's composed and respectful attitude left Director Wang feeling as if he had punched cotton; he gave an awkward smile and said no more.

A hint of surprise flashed in Vice Dean Zhao's eyes. He had thought that Chen Yang, who had achieved success at a young age, would inevitably be sharp and outspoken, but he had not expected him to be so composed.

In fact, what the Hebei Province side most hoped for when Chen Yang led his team here was that Chen Yang and his group would be arrogant and rude, as that would actually be a good thing for them.

The next morning, according to the itinerary, included a visit to the hospital and a discussion.

The Hebei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine does indeed have excellent facilities; the newly built inpatient building is magnificent and equipped with all kinds of modern equipment. However, after Chen Yang led his trainees into the wards, they gradually discovered some problems.

In many wards, Western medicine's IV stands and monitors have become standard equipment, while traditional Chinese medicine treatments are relatively rare.

The doctors making rounds showed a strong Western influence in their diagnostic approaches and medications. The process of diagnosis and treatment became a mere formality, with many prescriptions being fixed and standardized, lacking personalized and precise treatment.

Yu Shiyun whispered to Zhuang Qiwen, "Brother Zhuang, it feels like... it's not much different from a Western hospital. The characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine aren't very obvious."

Zhuang Qiwen nodded silently, his brows furrowed.

In fact, this is the case in many traditional Chinese medicine hospitals nowadays.

However, Zhuang Qiwen and Yu Shiyun didn't go to many large traditional Chinese medicine hospitals. After all, Zhuang Qiwen was a village doctor before, and Yu Shiyun only worked in her own clinic. The two of them had the most contact with local small hospitals.

The Hebei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine is a well-known hospital in China, with a large scale and a great reputation.

The atmosphere at the meeting became even more delicate.

Chen Yang allowed the trainees to ask questions freely. At first, the experts from Hebei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine were able to answer fluently. However, as the questions became more in-depth and involved the diagnostic approaches and medication details of some difficult cases, some people began to avoid the important points or use some vague theories to deal with the situation.

When it was Zhuang Qiwen's turn to ask a question, he directly presented a case he had compiled that morning, which came from the hospital's internal medical records—an elderly patient with refractory heart failure and renal insufficiency.

"In treating this patient, why did your hospital continue to use large amounts of warming and diuretic drugs for a long time, even when the patient presented with obvious signs of yin deficiency, such as a red tongue with little coating and a thready and rapid pulse, instead of adjusting the treatment plan to also nourish yin?"

Zhuang Qiwen's question was incisive; although his tone was respectful, the question itself was extremely sharp.

The head of cardiology, who was responsible for answering the question, immediately looked rather grim. After stammering for a moment, he managed to explain, "Well... for heart failure patients, the root cause is Yang deficiency, so our main consideration is to protect and strengthen their Yang energy..."

His explanation was weak and unconvincing, and clearly could not be justified.

The atmosphere in the room instantly became awkward.

Originally, Vice Dean Zhao thought that this exchange, or rather Chen Yang's inspection tour, was just a formality and that everyone just needed to make a good impression. However, he did not expect Zhuang Qiwen to take it so seriously.

Chen Yang remained silent. In fact, he was letting everyone be, hoping they would show their true selves and learn whatever they wanted, so that the purpose of the special training could be achieved.

Vice President Zhao's face also darkened; he hadn't expected these young people to be so ruthless.

Just then, the conference room door was pushed open, and a slightly overweight, ruddy-faced middle-aged man walked in, followed by several people who looked like leaders.

"Dean Hao!" Vice Dean Zhao and the others quickly stood up.

The visitor was Hao Rencai, the president of the Hebei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

With a warm smile on his face, Hao Rencai strode towards Chen Yang: "Oh, Director Chen, I'm so sorry, I really couldn't get away yesterday. Welcome, welcome!"

As they spoke, Hao Rencai and Chen Yang shook hands tightly, then their gazes swept over the students present. Their smiles remained unchanged, but their eyes carried a hint of pressure.

"I overheard a lively discussion outside just now! Great, it's good that young people have ideas. However, we grassroots hospitals have our own difficulties. Patients' conditions are complex, and many times medication decisions are made after weighing the pros and cons, and are done out of necessity. Theory is theory, and practice is practice, so all the experts and trainees should be more understanding."

His words, seemingly intended to smooth things over, were actually a warning to Zhuang Qiwen and others, implying that they did not understand the actual situation at the grassroots level and were talking without understanding the pain they were experiencing.

The trainees looked at each other, feeling somewhat resentful, but they couldn't refute him because he was the dean.

All eyes turned to Chen Yang.

Chen Yang remained calm, meeting Hao Rencai's seemingly warm but actually sharp gaze, and slowly spoke, his voice clear and steady: "Dean Hao is right, practice makes perfect."

"It is precisely because the situation at the grassroots level is complex that we need to make accurate diagnoses and prescribe medications with caution. Whether in theory or in practice, being responsible to patients is always the top priority."

Chen Yang paused, his gaze sweeping over the experts at Hebei Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine before finally settling back on Hao Rencai's face. His tone was calm yet carried an undeniable authority.

"We are here not to nitpick, but to make progress together. If there are indeed problems that are confusing or difficult to solve in practice, we are willing to discuss them with our colleagues at your hospital and work together to find better treatment options. After all, we share the same goal—the health of our patients."

Chen Yang did not respond to Hao Rencai's words of "understanding the difficulties," but instead reiterated the principles of "accurate diagnosis" and "being responsible to patients," and lowered his stance to focus on "discussing together."

These words not only responded to Hao Rencai's reprimand but also upheld the bottom line and demonstrated a broad mind.

Hao Rencai's smile froze slightly. He gave Chen Yang a deep look, then burst into laughter again: "Well said! Let's discuss and progress together! Director Chen truly lives up to his reputation; he has a broad vision!"

Even so, Hao Rencai's eyes showed even deeper apprehension; this Chen Yang was far more difficult to deal with than he had imagined.

The symposium ended in an atmosphere of apparent harmony but underlying tension.